THE DRIVE: Russia vetoes; Manafort registers; St. Louis sues

Russia won't condemn suspected chemical attacks in Syria; former Trump campaign chairman registers as a foreign agent; Rams, NFL being taken to court; and more headlines for Wednesday, April 12, 2017.

The Associated Press

RUSSIA VETOES UN RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN CHEMICAL ATTACK

UNITED NATIONS — Russia vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution Wednesday that would have condemned the reported use of chemical weapons in a town in northern Syria and demanded a speedy investigation into the attack that killed nearly 90 people.

The vote on the Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States was 10 in favor, Russia and Bolivia against, and China, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia abstaining.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the council before the vote that during talks in Moscow Russia asked for an independent international investigation to examine the April 4 attack on Khan Sheikhoun. He said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is considering the request.

MANAFORT REGISTERING AS FOREIGN AGENT

President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman is registering as a foreign agent.

Paul Manafort's spokesman says he was in talks with the government about registering before the 2016 election and is now "taking appropriate steps" in response to "formal guidance" from the government.

The spokesman says Manafort's lobbying work was not conducted on behalf of the Russian government and began before Manafort started working with the Trump campaign.

It's unclear whether Trump was aware that Manafort was in talks with the government about registering before he hired him.

UNITED NO LONGER WILL USE LAW ENFORCEMENT TO REMOVE PASSENGERS

CHICAGO — The chief executive of United Airlines said the carrier will no longer ask police to remove passengers from full flights after the uproar over a man who was dragged off a plane by airport officers in Chicago.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" aired Wednesday, Oscar Munoz said he felt "ashamed" watching video of the man being forced off the jet. He has promised to review the airline's passenger-removal policy.

Munoz, who leads United's parent company, apologized again to Kentucky physician David Dao, his family and the other passengers who witnessed him being taken off the flight.

"That is not who our family at United is," he said. "This will never happen again on a United flight. That's my promise."

ST. LOUIS SUES RAMS, NFL OVER RELOCATION

ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the National Football League over the Rams' relocation to Los Angeles, alleging the league violated its own relocation guidelines and enriched itself at the expense of the community it left behind.

The move comes 15 months after the team departed. St. Louis is joined in the lawsuit by St. Louis County and the region's sports authority. The lawsuit filed in St. Louis Circuit Court names the NFL, all 32 teams and their owners, and seeks unspecified but "extensive" damages and restitution.

The NFL says there is "no legitimate basis" for the lawsuit. A spokesman for the league, Brian McCarthy, said it worked diligently with local and state officials in a process he calls "honest and fair."